Nicki Minaj ‘Irked’ by Lady Gaga Comparisons

Wigs and over-the-top stage costumes are not enough of a reason for Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga to be compared to one another… At least not in Minaj’s mind.

The rapper chatted with JuJu Chang for Nightline and when asked if she was offended by being compared to Gaga, Minaj stated, “Offends me, no. Irks me, yes. We are in completely different lanes.”

Musically, that’s true. Minaj then said, “First of all, I’m a rapper. I’m from southside Jamaica, Queens. I could say some really crazy lyrics right now, but I won’t,” according to E!. Well, Gaga is also from New York, albeit Manhattan, but it’s the same geographical region.

As for the fact that both wear out-there hairpieces, Minaj said, “Every female in this game wears wigs.” Okay, so how about their “over-the-top costumes?” Minaj was not having any of that, as she said, “Try again.”

But don’t go thinking that Minaj is tearing a page out of Madonna‘s reductive book. She doesn’t subscribe to the same philosophy about Ma Monster. “Gaga’s a fantastic artist, you know, she paved her way. She’s opened her own lane. But I think that I have my own lane, and we never cross. Ever,” she said firmly. “So, you know, I really don’t get the comparison anymore. Our music doesn’t sound the same. Our stage presence is not the same. I just can’t see the similarities.”

Well, both artists do have male alter egos — Roman for Minaj, Jo Calderone for Gaga. And Gaga opened the VMAs in 2011 as Mr. Calderone, which was incredibly risky and shocking, while Minaj staged an exorcism during the 2012 Grammys, which got people talking and inevitably irking her, since it was compared to Gaga’s penchant for theater.